With the UK general election set for July 4 and all major parties having now released their manifestos, Sustainability News outlines – in alphabetical order – how each is shaping up in terms of environmental policies.
Conservatives
The Conservative Party has set out its plan for what it calls an ‘affordable and pragmatic transition’ to net zero, with the party ‘remain[ing] committed to delivering net zero by 2050.’
Among the party’s pledges are to treble offshore wind capacity, build the first two carbon capture and storage (CCS) clusters and progress the second tranche of projects, as well as invest £1.1bn into the Green Industries Growth Accelerator. Within the first 100 days of the next parliament, the Conservatives will look to approve two new fleets of small modular reactors as part of plans to scale up nuclear power, as well as halve the time it takes for new nuclear reactors to be approved.
By 2027, the Conservatives pledge to implement a new import carbon pricing mechanism to ensure the imports of iron, steel, aluminium, ceramics and cement from countries with a lower – or no – carbon price will face a ‘comparable’ price to goods produced in the UK.
The party will rule out creating further green levies, alongside a commitment to not introduce road pricing schemes.
How the analysts saw it: Niamh O Regan, researcher at the Social Market Foundation (SMF), said that while plans to increase domestic electricity generation were ‘welcome’, cutting the cost of net zero by guaranteeing no new green levies was a ‘false economy.’
“Achieving net zero requires both substantial, certain and continuous investment and public behaviour change, and green levies present a unique opportunity to do both,” said O Regan. “Claiming that changes to net zero policies will save families money is short-term thinking.”
Greens
The Green Party has set out what it thinks is ‘achievable given the failure of successive governments to prepare with anything like the urgency and ambition that climate scientists have been telling us is needed for decades.’
Unlike the Conservatives and Labour, who have opted for 2050 for net zero as per the Paris Agreement, the Greens will push the government to transition to a zero-carbon society ‘as soon as possible… more than a decade ahead of 2050.’
The Greens will push to decarbonise the energy system by 2030, ceasing development of new nuclear power stations as well as phasing out existing ones, calling nuclear a ‘distraction’ which diverts investment away from renewables. To help redress the balance, Green MPs will push for wind to provide ‘around 70%’ of the UK’s electricity by the end of the decade, with removal of the de-facto ban of onshore wind high on the agenda.
Investment in skills and training will be pushed to the tune of £4bn per year, as well as the establishment of an Offshore Energy and Skills Passport, so workers can transition more easily between offshore industries. New support for solar and other renewable energies, including marine, hydropower and geothermal, is mooted.
Solar panels will be mandated for all new homes ‘where possible and appropriate’ as well as heat pumps ‘or equivalent low carbon technologies’, while all planning applications will be required to include whole-life carbon and energy calculations.
From a transport perspective, Greens will push to increase annual public subsidies for rail and bus travel to £10bn by the end of the next parliament, invest an additional £19bn over the next five years to improve public transport – and bring rail back into public ownership. An ‘extensive’ vehicle scrappage scheme, with funding at £5bn per year by the end of parliament, would be pushed to achieve the replacement of all petrol and diesel vehicles within a decade.
How the analysts saw it: Gideon Salutin, senior researcher at the SMF, broadly praised the Greens’ transport policies, calling the proposed investment in public transport ‘desperately needed’. However, Salutin questioned the sums with regard to electric vehicles (EVs) and the proposed scrappage scheme for poorer groups.
“While sticks may be necessary to make the full transition to EVs, the Greens need to offer some carrots as well,” said Salutin.
Labour
Labour’s manifesto has put making Britain a clean energy superpower as its second ‘mission’, behind kickstarting economic growth. This correlates to pledging clean power by 2030; working with the private sector to double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by this date.
The most eye-catching plan is the creation of a new publicly-owned company, Great British Energy, headquartered in Scotland and proposed to be capitalised to the tune of £8.3 billion over the next parliament.
A new Energy Independence Act is proposed to ‘establish the framework’ for Labour’s energy and climate policies, while investment in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and marine energy is also cited. Labour says it is ‘committed’ to reducing waste by moving to a circular economy.
Labour has pledged net zero by the existing target of 2050 and says it will look to make the UK the ‘green finance capital of the world’. This will look to mandate UK-regulated financial institutions and FTSE 100 companies to develop and implement ‘credible’ transition plans aligning with the Paris Agreement.
How the analysts saw it: David Whitehouse, CEO of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), said that Labour’s manifesto carried ‘many important proposals’ for the offshore sector, but noted that the path to success involves ‘building on existing industrial strengths.’
“An affordable net zero needs both renewables and our homegrown oil and gas sector,” said Whitehouse. “Ramping up more carbon-intensive imports from abroad will not bring down energy bills for consumers or attract the investment and skills we need to decarbonise our economy.”
Theo Bertram, SMF director, meanwhile, noted the lack of clarity, calling it a ‘Ming vase manifesto; change but with caution.’ “It’s not fair to say it is without ambition or new ideas but it is light on detail,” said Bertram.
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats manifesto puts a ‘fair deal’ front and centre, which extends to the environment. The party says it is looking to ‘put tackling climate change at the heart of a new industrial strategy’. The manifesto notes an emergency Home Energy Upgrade programme, a ‘rooftop solar revolution’, as well as providing skills training, incentives and advice to help families and businesses with the transition to net zero.
Among the benchmark figures include a commitment to 90% of the UK’s electricity being generated from renewables by 2030; cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045 ‘at the latest’; and returning international development spending to 0.7% of national income with tackling climate change a ‘key priority’ for that spend.
The party says it will look to invest in energy storage, including green hydrogen, pumped storage, and battery capability. Regarding net zero, the Liberal Democrats will look to set out a ‘clear and stable roadmap’, while the party also wants to regulate financial services to encourage climate-friendly investments.
How the analysts saw it: Bertram praised the ‘bold’ ambition on net zero but noted there was ‘not a huge amount’ of detail. Jenny Stanning, external relations director at OEUK, praised the focus on skilled workers but noted that the party’s approach to taxing the energy industry could ‘further deter’ investment in offshore energy.
“It’s essential that as we journey to net zero, we leave no-one behind,” said Stanning.
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru’s manifesto is one which advocates ‘for fairness, for ambition, for Wales.’ It is a maxim which cuts through all policies – including those for the environment.
Most eye-catching is a reaffirmed commitment to net zero by 2035 – a timeframe which eclipses even that of the Green Party – as well as halting biodiversity decline by 2030, and ensuring ‘substantive’ recovery by 2050.
The party advocates for ‘energy independence’ for Wales, arguing for full control over energy powers without any upper limit or conditions set by the UK government. There is greater expansion planned for national energy company Ynni Cymru, as well as an increased windfall tax for energy companies.
Reform UK
Reform UK, in a document which it calls a ‘contract’, has pledged to scrap net zero and related subsidies, estimating it would save ‘some £20bn per year for the next 25 years, possibly more.’
The party advocates using the ‘energy treasure under our feet’, and proposes fast-tracking licences of North Sea gas and oil, and major production of shale gas once its safety is proven. Longer-term, the party advocates to fast-track clean nuclear energy with new small modular reactors built in Britain, as well as incentivising UK lithium mining for electric batteries.
SNP
The Scottish National Party has a primary focus on building a ‘fairer, greener economy’ in its manifesto, and says that emissions reduction and economic prosperity ‘go hand in hand.’
SNP MPs will push the UK government to bring forward an immediate emergency budget following the election to help deliver meaningful investment in economic growth including green energy, as well as seek ‘urgent clarity’ to restore investor confidence in carbon capture, utilisation and storage following what it calls the UK government’s ‘failure’ to support the Acorn project at track 1. There will also be a call for a statutory social tariff for energy – as well as broadband and mobile – for ‘all who need one.’
The SNP will rule out any new nuclear power plants in Scotland, believing the best pathway to net zero is though ‘significant growth in renewables, storage, hydrogen and carbon capture.’ There are plans to press the UK government to help promote Scotland’s hydrogen export potential, as well as a more evidence-based approach to oil and gas licences.
How the analysts saw it: Whitehouse said the OEUK shared the SNP’s ambition for the energy transition in Scotland but had concerns about how the social levy would be funded without adding to existing barriers to capital investment. “We welcome their commitments to tackle climate change and also their evidence-based approach to oil and gas licensing,” said Whitehouse.
Analysis
Hannah Scott, CEO, Oxfordshire Greentech
It’s 2024, the IPCC is running out of synonyms for “Code Red for Humanity”… and the UK General Election is notably not being characterized as a “climate election”. Despite seeing multiple Greenpeace posters in my local area on the inside of people’s windows, proudly declaring, “I’m a climate voter”, it seems to not be as high up on the major political parties’ manifestos and talking points as it should be.
The two major parties have modest views on maintaining the net zero target, whereas parties less in contention push further at different ends, with the Green Party bringing forward the target by 10 years and Reform UK scrapping net zero altogether.
The Conservative manifesto insists on maintaining oil and gas licences which they say will increase the UK’s energy security and maintain a “pragmatic” approach. It ironically finishes with, “We will seize the opportunities created by the [net zero] transition, opening up new sectors and creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs.” But it doesn’t want to seize them too soon, choosing to back oil and gas for a while longer, and stifling the speed at which the Grid needs to decarbonize. The whole section on net zero reads as if they’ve found the climate crisis mildly inconvenient rather than existentially threatening.
Labour does somewhat better with the promise of no new oil and gas licences and the anticipated creation of Great British Energy, but doesn’t commit to revoking the Rosebank licence, the UK’s biggest untapped oil field, which will seriously jeopardise the UK’s ability to remain on track for net zero by 2050.
Labour also comes across as unimaginative regarding the transport sector, with active travel measures being mentioned in passing as the future responsibility of mayors. One hopes that if they form the next Government, that they might be pushed to up their ambition by Lib Dem and Green MPs, the former who seem to have a few good ideas, including a 10-year emergency upgrade programme, featuring free insulation and heat pumps for those on low incomes, taking the direct approach to support citizens to decarbonise.
I’d like to see all parties better recognise the burgeoning strength of the UK’s climate tech sector, with startups spinning out of the university ecosystems with genuinely world-leading solutions around energy, transport, circularity and more. They will require patient capital and enabling policies to facilitate their continued growth and ability to create impact.
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
